Government Shutdown: A Whole Lotta Nothing

The government shutdown brought many government agencies to a slow halt on Tuesday morning. Many federal agencies had employees come to work for several hours to complete tasks related to the shutdown, like changing voicemail messages, and putting up out of office email notifications.

The shutdown affected many of the agencies deemed “non-essential”. On the 50th Anniversary of Yosemite National Park, The National Park Services website was inaccessible except for a home page directing viewers to doi.govfor shutdown related questions. Likewise the USDA, FCC, and the Smithsonian National Zoo showed messages stating they were not open because of the government shutdown.]

Voicemails for government agencies spanning from the Library of Congress to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reiterated that things were closed until further notice. In the case of the EEOC, the voicemail told people that discrimination charges against employers must be filed within the 180-day time limit, they said that time limits on charges would not be extended due to the shutdown so people should be proactive about starting the process regardless of the office being closed. LISTEN to the EEOC voicemail below: